The Real Value of Educational Toys

In 2018, an article was published that outlined the critical value of play in the development of children. The same article stressed how important it is for healthcare practitioners to emphasise and encourage play, when conducting developmental assessments. This same article was reaffirmed in January 2025. It stated that:

“Play is not frivolous: it enhances brain structure and function and promotes executive function (i.e., the process of learning, rather than the content), which allow us to pursue goals and ignore distractions.” See the article here. 

As a paediatrican I do feel that it is my duty to support parents in their quest to raise children who can reach their full potential. For this reason, I believe it is important to highlight play as an essential part of a child’s health. Play not only develops life skills, but also provides a means to manage toxic stress.

Executive functioning, cognitive skills, language acquisition and so on are massive concepts. They are critical but are very academic. I would rather have a down to earth chat about the importance of play and what we as parents should be providing as toys for such learning to take place.

Let’s look at a practical example:

In my garden I have a little, wooden Wendy house. Inside are the toys my daughter used to play with. A little kitchen with pots and pans, plates and cutlery. There is a toy pram, a scruffy doll and a little blanket. In the corner is a dressing table with wooden accessories. Years have passed since my daughter played inside but now, I watch with joy, as my little granddaughter of 22 months, fills the house with activity. Any willing adult is drawn into the space to participate in the imaginary play. At just 22 months she enacts scenes that she has observed in the world around her.

What is she learning?

Language: Each item in the Wendy house has a name. Often, the adult interacting will repeat the word and probably ask what she wants to do with it.  “You have a pot and a spoon. Are you going to cook baby some food?” She is developing receptive language, making a decision and carrying out an action suggested by language.

Organisation skills: The items inside the house have their own place. “Should we put the plates on the shelf or on the floor?” She doesn’t like mess and will usually say “away” as she places the plates on the shelf. In so doing she is organising but also making use of visual perceptive, memory skills. She needs to remember where she found the item and what order they were in.

Perceptual skills: Certain lids will only fit on certain pots so she tries various ones until she finds the correct one. In doing this she is actually matching shapes and developing eye-hand co-ordination. Manipulating the lid to get it onto the pot is a skill that requires fine motor control. Finding the right lid for the pot is encouraging problem solving as well.

Empathy: She takes time to wrap the baby in a blanket and offers it a bottle. Along with the empathy she is learning compassion and the importance of nurturing a relationship. She will often pretend that the baby is crying, then pick it up and cuddle it. This emotional awareness will have a positive effect on how she will interact with other children in a real-life situation.

Self-awareness: The dressing table has a stool and mirror. She is fascinated by her reflection and spends time smiling at herself and making faces that lead to much giggling. Academically what is happening is that her visual development is being stimulated. She is becoming self-aware and there is an enormous amount of social-emotional learning taking place. A smile generates a feeling of joy and a funny face, humour. When looking at herself in the mirror she is also able to identify and name her body parts.

Interpersonal skills and bonding: The time spent in the Wendy house is sacred. It is free from distractions, there is no media and my granddaughter has the undivided attention of an adult. The toys are an instrument to promote interpersonal skills and bonding between the child and adult. If there were an electronic device involved the child would become isolated and the cognitive and language development would be reduced.

So which toys should we be buying for our children?

I hope my example has led to the understanding that toys don’t have to be new or state of the art with lights flashing, music and excessive stimulus. These kinds of toys usually only have a single function and limit imagination and free play. What is more, the electronic toys and tablet-based toys take away the critical social engagement that traditional toys offer. If a child is staring at a screen or a toy is doing the singing or talking, facial expressions, gestures and vocalization is lost. If on the other hand, an adult is engaging with the child through a toy and imaginative play, all these wonderful social skills are maintained.

What is important is that the toy is safe. It should be made from non-toxic materials, have no sharp edges or have tiny parts that could be a choking hazard. If you want to buy a toy, here are some suggestions for what they offer in terms of skills:

• Toys such a blocks or puzzles encourage problem solving and exploration. They develop visual closure and visual figure ground skills. The child also develops fine motor skills while manipulating the pieces and fitting them together. An electronic device with a puzzle game on it is limited to a 2-dimensional experience and the child will only learn visual closure and figure ground discrimination.
• Large toys encourage gross motor development. Think of the skills developed while playing with a ball. Eye-hand co-ordination, agility, running, balance to kick and so on. The sedentary nature of electronic toys has implications for development and health such as low muscle tone and obesity.

• Dolls, cars and farmyard animals: Encourage imaginative play and enable the child to enact scenarios from real life experiences. This fosters social skills, language development, role playing and creativity.

Conclusion

Any toy can be “educational” if it encourages a child to play, enact real-life situations, develop language and to have meaningful social interactions. Medical literature is stressing the value of “traditional toys” such as dolls, cars, card games, blocks, puzzles and so on. What these “traditional toys” do is to provide an opportunity for the child to choose the direction of the play and to use the time to express feelings and develop new skills.

An electronic device is programmed for specific tasks and doesn’t encourage interaction with peers or parents. In so doing the benefits of social-emotional, self-regulation, language skills are lost. I am not saying that electronic devices do not have a role in education but in the early years, these benefits are minimal. What we want to encourage is a child with an imagination that can turn the living room into Jurassic Park, a box into a space ship and the jungle gym into the Amazon. By doing this we will be preparing our children with the skills needed to succeed in the 21^st century. Problem solving, collaboration, creativity and the ability to communicate effectively will set them apart.

References:

• https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/142/3/e20182058/38649/The-Power-of-Play-A-Pediatric-Role-in-Enhancing
• https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/multiple_intelligences/educational-benefits-toys/
• https://www.childpsych.co.za/the-importance-of-toys-in-a-childs-development/
• https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/142/3/e20182058/38649/The-Power-of-Play-A-Pediatric-Role-in-Enhancing
• https://www.startearly.org/post/imaginative-play